Smoking pipe



G. M, THOMSON SMOKING PIPE Oct. 3, 1939.

MWI

Patented Oct. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFCE SMOKING PIPE Application April 2, 1936, Serial No. 72,259

5 Claims.

This invention relates to smoking pipes which consist of a down-draft combustion chamber, called the bowl, and a suction smoke conduit, which consists of a stem, usually integral with the bowl and of the same material, and an intertting bite, usually of hard rubber.

The ordinary practice in pipe-smoking is to pack tobacco into the bowl., ignite it at the top horizon oi the 'tobacco and maintain combustion by down draft, induced by the smokers lips, through the bowl, stem and bite to provide a supply of richly flavoured smoke. This smoke contains richly flavoured particles of various combustion products, the evaporated free moisture of the tobacco and water of combustion. This hot Water Vapour, unless chilled or condensed and held in the stem or bite, causes a mild scalding of the smokers mouth. If the water vapour is condensed it tends to precipitate and hold a portion of the solid highly ilavoured smoke particles. Excessive condensation of the vapour thus tends to destroy the desired lavour of the smoke. Condensation may occur at any point between the combustion horizon and the smokers mouth. Some does occur in the vacant space at the bottom of the bowl or in the air spaces in the loosely packed tobacco there. This is objectionable on account of caking charred tobacco on the inside surface of the bowl. Moreover with the condensed Water vapour occurring in the stem adjacent the bowl, it tends to wet the tobacco in the lower portion of the bowl, rendering it unsmokable.

The object of the present invention is to provide a pipe of improved construction which will produce smoke of the desired avour and yet inhibit mouth scalding. It is thus an object to lower the temperature of the smoke so that a sufficient proportion of the water vapour is condensed to inhibit mouth scalding and yet retain sufcient particles of solid in the smoke for the desired flavour. A further object is to continuously remove all or at least most of the condensed water vapour, as and where it occurs at the various points along the smoke travel from the bowl to the end of the bite.

The invention thus contemplates a construction, which will withdraw moisture from the smoke throughout its passage by capillary attraction, preferably in directions away from the bowl and from the outer end of the bite, which will have maximum capillary capacity for the volume or space available in the stem and bite and which will provide insulation against too rapid heat loss from the smoke as it passes through the smoke conduit.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figures l, 2 and 3 are sectional elevations of a pipe embodying slightly modied forms of the invention and Figure 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the core in extended condition.

In the drawing l is the bowl, 2 the stem, 3 the bite, 5 an axially arranged smoke conduit and f5 a capillary core associated with the stem and bite. The bowl, stem and bite may be ol any desired materials, such as briar wood for the bowl and stem and hard rubber for the bite, and have an internal bore to accommodate the core.

The core may be made of any non-absorbent material, resistant to chemical attack of the smoke, which can be fabricated into a form adapted to provide the required capillary attraction for moisture condensed from the smoke during its passage from the bowl to the outer end of the bite. Illustrative of such materials are, aluminum alloys, stainless steel, plated steel or other plated metal, and hard rubber or phenolic condensation products reinforced by metal or bre.

In the form shown the core S consists of a spiral formed from thin sheet material 'l the convolutions of which are spaced apart, when the core is in place in the pipe, only such distance as will insure the capillary action of the core. Applicants experience is that this distance should not exceed 2 millimeters. It is normally considerably less. For clarity of illustration, the convolutions of the helix have been shown in Figures l, 2 and 3 of the drawing as in an abnormally spaced condition. The core or spiral preferably has a longitudinal resilience which provides a snug t between the ends of the spiral and the respective portions of the stem and bite and assists in maintaining the periphery of the core in contact with the wall of the stem and/or bite, so that the smoke ows longitudinally only through the conduit 5. In what is presently the preferred form, illustrated in Figure 1, the respective portions of the core entering the stem and bite are tapered. This provides for a Zone of greatest capillary action at a point substantially removed from the mouth piece of the bite and some distance from the base of the bowl, thus insuring greatest freedom from condensed moisture at the mouth and largely, if not entirely, removing condensed moisture from the bowl. In Figure 2 the core is entirely within the bite and tapered at one end only while in Figure 3 the core is of uniform diameter and is located within both stem and bite. In each case the core contacts the wall of the bite and/or stem and a chamber 3, being in effect an enlargement of the smoke conduit, may be provided at the bite end of the core to reduce the rate of smoke ow and allow additional cooling of the smoke. The spiral shown has the capacity to bend along its main axis and thus to conform to changes in the direction of the bore in the stem or bite but this is not t0 be regarded as a limitation on the character of the core in this respect.

It will be observed that the wall of the stem is relatively thin, owing to the size of the bore to accommodate the core, and that therefore it offers relatively little insulation to prevent condensation of water vapour, while, on the other hand, the air or smoke-filled spaces between the convolutions of the core offer moderate insulation to heat losses from smoke passing through the conduit 5. By Virtue of its capillary action the core removes from the smoke condensed moisture as and where it is formed. The core may be readily and completely cleaned by removal from the pipe or partially by the insertion in the conduit of the usual pipe cleaner. Condensed vapours will of course be drawn into the spaces between the convolutions of the spiral and will be retained there until removed by cleaning.

I claim:

1. A smoking pipe comprising a bowl and a stem,

said stem having therein a chamber communicating with the bowl, and a capillary core of nonabsorbent material positioned within said chamber, said material being thin and substantially at and in the form of an open-centered spiral to form an axial bore and to provide deep capillary spaces between adjacent spiral portions, said spaces opening into said bore and being disposed substantially throughout the length of the core.

2. A smoking pipe as defined in claim 1 wherein the core has a taper toward one end to provide a zone of maximum capillary action therein at a point removed from said end.

3. A smoking pipe as defined in claim 1 wherein the core has a taper in opposite directions at its ends to provide a zone of maximum capillary action at a point removed from said ends.

4. A smoking pipe comprising a bowl and a stem, said stem having therein a chamber communicating with the bowl and a capillary core of non-absorbent material positioned within said chamber, said material being thin and substantially at and in the form of a spiral to provide deep capillary spaces between adjacent spiral portions, said core having a longitudinal bore therethrough and said spaces opening into said bore and being disposed substantially throughout the length of the core.

5. A smoking pipe comprising a bowl and a stem having a bite portion at one end, said stem having a smoke conduit extending therethrough and communicating with the bowl, said smoke conduit having an enlarged portion forming a chamber within the stem, and a capillary core of non-absorbent material positioned within said chamber but terminating short of the end thereof adjacent said bite portion to provide a free space at said end of the chamber, said material being thin and substantially iat and in the form of a spiral to provide deep capillary spaces between adjacent spiral portions, said core having a longitudinal bore therethrough and said spaces opening into said bore and being disposed substantially throughout the length of the core.

GEORGE MILLER THOMSON. 

